Help Me Heal
by BellaK
Summary: Ichigo has a rough day and Ryou treats her to ice cream...


Woah... Can you believe it??

I started writing again!!

Gaspers...

Anyway, this is a story that was on my mind for a while..

No good title yet so if it changes don't die of shock or anything... please...

**Chapter One: Ritual Becomes Anything But**

The wind howled as Ichigo Momomiya made her ritual mad dash to work. She was always a bit late to work; only to be chastised by Minto and yelled at by Shirogane. Honestly, she couldn't help being late to work everyday. Her school didn't let out until 5 minuets before her shift starts.

"This sucks so bad!" she called as she leapt over a toppled trashcan.

40 seconds later she arrived at work… 40 seconds late… It wasn't her fault her stupid school was a mile away from the café.

"You're late, Momomiya-san…" Minto called from the table where she was partaking in her hourly tea time.

"Minto-chan, we go through this every day. Can't you just shut up for once!?" Ichigo cried irritably, stomping into the dressing room to change.

* * *

Ichigo hastily dried the last of the pink café tables, attempting to be home in time to greet her father when he got home from work. It seemed like she might actually make it today!

"Hey, Ichigo…" came the voice of her American bombshell boss.

Ichigo sighed in frustration. Calmly she turned towards him, her eyebrow flinching.

"Yes, Shirogane-san?" she asked from behind grinding teeth.

"Are…Are you feeling okay?" he asked as he took a cautionary step back.

"Oh, yeah, I'm just peachy keen!" she answered sarcastically, blinking away the tears that were blurring her vision.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that you can't go home just yet-"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" the red heads eyes were burning as she twisted the rag she was holding causing it to promptly snap.

"-on account of it monsooning outside." He finished his statement, him sweating from the gaze of the flame eyed girl.

"Oh…" she replied, settling down considerably.

Suddenly the blonde boy heard sniffling coming from the red head.

"Strawberry, what's wrong?" he asked as he placed a concerned hand on her shoulder.

"What are you talking about…? There's nothing wrong!" she exclaimed as she tried to fake a smile, also pretending she did not just hear him call her that most hated nick name of hers.

"Really now?" he asked as he wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "Then what's with the waterworks, huh?"

Ichigo's eyes began to water again and she quickly hid her face in her hands. She was set and ready to make a dash towards the empty and lockable changing room.

She was stopped short by the fact that her knees collapsed on her and she fell to the floor. Before her knees even hit the ground, Ryou grabbed her and sank to the floor with her. He was never very good at consoling crying girls, but he tried and that was all that mattered.

"Shh… It'll all be fine… Why don't you just tell me what's wrong?" he asked gently, stroking her downy soft hair.

"It's just too much… I can't take it anymore! Between 4 hours of homework, 3 hours of work, 2 hours of chores, and 5 hours of sleep… It's just too much…"she managed to stutter out in between sobs. "Not to mention Masaya breaking up with me to go out with some German model, that German model just happens to be my new step-sister, and I'm not going to be able to see my dad tonight on account of him going to bed right after he gets home from work!" she cried as she buried her face deeper into her bosses shirt.

He pulled her away slightly to look into her eyes.

"You know, I never thought Masaya was good enough for you anyways… You're too high maintenance for a poor guy like him," he commented jokingly.

"Oh, so some rich snob like you would better suit me? Is that what you're trying to imply?" she asked, poking him square in his chest. "I didn't know you were so buff, Shirogane," she poked him again, this time in the gut causing him to chuckle.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me…" he answered, wiggling his eyebrow at her.

"Jeez, Ryou-kun, When did you start acting like a horn dog?" she asked, jokingly.

"Hmmm…. Right now I guess!" he answered, smiling a genuine smile that made Ichigo blush, and turn her head away.

"What are you blushing for?" he asked as he craned his neck to look at her face.

"NOTHING!" she squeaked, and opened her eyes to find him staring at her.

"Really now?" He began to move in closer, her face growing redder and redder with each passing second.

"PURIN-CHAN IS LEAVING NOW, NA NO DA!!" Purin called, popping up out of nowhere in between Ryou and Ichigo.

"N-YAAAAAHH!" Ichigo screamed, jumping ten feet in the air, ears and tail popping out.

"Neeeee, Ichigo one-chan, why are you so red??" Purin questioned with a devious smile on her face.

"God, Purin-chan, a little notice would be awesome!!" Ichigo screamed from her crumpled position on her newly mopped floors.

"Here's an idea, how 'bout I give you two a ride home?" Ryou offered, attempting to avert the cat girl's attention from the small child she was having murderous intentions towards.

* * *

"BYE, NA NO DA!!" Purin yelled as she slammed the red sports car door closed.

"So, to your house then??" Shirogane asked when Purin had safely entered her house.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Now what's wrong?"

"It's really nothing, okay?"

"How does ice cream sound?" he asked again.

"In the middle of a monsoon?" Ichigo asked sardonically.

"In case you haven't noticed yet, the storm is very much calm now," Ryou stated matter-of-factly.

* * *

"Well, this is fun…" Ichigo said monotonously as she licked her strawberry double scoop. They were sitting peacefully in the window both in her favorite ice cream parlor. Ryou was eating his vanilla double scoop rather dejectedly… It was pouring again.

"At least we're not out in the rain…" Ryou joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Chyeah, I'm sure…" a snide voice came from the back of the store.

"Oh no…." Ichigo groaned, head in hands.

"Hello, Ichigo…" a tall girl with long blonde and gray eyes came into view.

"What do you want, Griselda? Come to steal my friends now, too?" Ichigo inquired, throwing the girl a death glare, "What, was my boyfriend not enough for you? Would you like to ruin my life as well? Well, ruin away, okay!!"

With that the red head stormed out of the Shoppe and into the world of rain outside.

"Ichigo!" Ryou called as to ran from the store. "Ichigo?!"

"Leave me alone!" she screamed, running towards the park.

Her legs screamed, she was drenched and she didn't pay mind to that at all. She also paid no mind to the tears that mingled with the rain that soaked her face.

* * *

Well, that's all for now!!

Till next chappie!!


End file.
